August September

Themes/Activities

Resources

Getting to know Bain/PVMS/WHMS Lockers/Schedules/Understanding your planner School Policies and Procedures (ie. attendance, tardiness, dress code, bullying protocol, technology use) Team policies (if appropriate) Opportunities at school (Free/Reduced lunch, extra-curricular activities, how to sign up to get involved) Starting an Advisory Group Norms for individual Advisories - what topics are appropriate? Interests surveys Getting to know each other - "Ice Breaker" Activity Creating a group specific advisory Preparing for NECAP What to do on testing days? (i.e. Eat breakfast, good night sleep) What is the test schedule? Where do I go? What do I bring? Parent engagement - Letter from Principal

Getting to know Bain/PVMS/WHMS Review student schedules Practice locker combinations Introductory letter from Advisor with contact information Starting an Advisory Getting to know the students in your Advisory and understanding the purpose for advisor The Purpose of An Advisory - This is an activity that has students understand why we have advisory Who Am I? - A quick activity that will help the advisory get to know each other better Top 5 Ways to Get to Know your Students - 5 different activities are highlighted that will help the advisory learn more about each other and/or build community within the group Various interest surveys to learn more about the students Multiple Intelligence Survey Student Interest Survey Game of Favorites Sample Ice breaker Activities Getting Students to Talk the first few days of school - An activity/game where students pick a number and then have to answer the corresponding question Icebreakers, warmups, etc... "Getting to Know you" Activities - A collection of different games/activities to do with your advisory Preparing for NECAP Checklist: Test-Taking Strategies - a list of strategies to share with your advisory

Time of Year Activity -
Going Back to School - An article about going back to school. A great thing to read with students at the beginning of the school year. (Many other articles listed would be appropriate as well, so feel free to search for topics while there).
Beyond Blame: Reacting to the 9/11 Terrorist Attack - A collection of resources on bringing this topic into the advisory classroom.

Home-School Connection -
Kids' Biggest Middle School Fears - An article to share with parents/guardians that help them to anticipate the types of new experiences in middle school that could cause stress at the beginning of the school year in a middle school.
Standardized Tests: Preparation and Advice - A great website with a variety of articles that could be shared with parents/guardians to help their child prepare for NECAP testing.